Multiple-compartment cigarette packages and containers that accommodate more than one brand or type of cigarette are known in the prior art. Typically, such prior art packages and containers are box-shaped, made of a paper, cardstock or metallic material and contain a hinge associated with each of one or more lids. The compartments are typically sealed as a single package or are individually sealed to preserve freshness and to minimize the transfer of tobacco materials and aromas from one compartment to the next.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,283,856 to Hoenig; U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,424 to Glass; U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,010 to Rogers; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,903 to Focke et al. disclose exemplary multi-compartment, individually sealed packages for containing more than one group, brand or type of cigarette. Typically, no more than two individual compartments are included in such prior art packages due primarily to consumer preference. That is, a cigarette consumer may prefer a package for carrying a favorite brand or flavor of cigarette and a secondary brand or flavor of cigarette that is less frequently smoked.
Many different types and arrangements of lids, flaps and hinges associated with multi-compartment packages are disclosed in the prior art. Often, the compartments of the multi-compartment packages are aligned such that the individual openings associated with each compartment are on the same side of the package. Accordingly, the lids or flaps covering the openings, and the hinges associated with the lids or flaps, are on the same side of the package. There may be one lid or flap for each opening or a single lid or flap for both openings. Two separate lids or flaps are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,424 to Glass and U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,010 to Rogers. These patents exemplify two-compartment, dual-lid cigarette packages with the separate lids and hinges on the same side of the package. U.S. Pat. No. 2,163,828 to Chalmers and U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,126 to Barnard disclose two-compartment cigarette packages with a single hinged lid covering both openings on the same side of the package.
In other cigarette package designs, the compartments of the multi-compartment packages are aligned such that their openings are on opposite sides of the package. Accordingly, the lids or flaps covering the openings associated with each compartment on these side-by-side compartments, and the hinges associated with the lids or flaps, are on the opposite side of the package. U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,412 to White and U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,903, for example, illustrate a rectangular, two-compartment cigarette package with hinged lids on opposite sides of the package.
Several prior art cigarette packages are capable of retaining a measure of freshness by sealing the individual compartments in multi-compartment packages or by sealing the entire package, including both compartments. Paper or cardstock materials alone are not well suited to preserving the freshness of the contents of a cigarette container because the web materials used generally do not provide a sufficiently airtight or air-impermeable barrier. Typically, soft pack and hard pack cigarette packages employ inner or outer wraps of metal foil/paper laminates, metallized paper or plastic wrappers, or low permeability transparent polymeric sheet overwraps to protect the freshness and aroma of packaged cigarettes and other smoking article products. However, the use of a plastic container molded from a polymeric material having a relatively high impermeability would eliminate the need to use such wrappers and overwraps or, alternatively, in conjunction with such wrappers and overwraps, the air impermeability of molded plastic containers could be further enhanced. Similarly, the use of a metal container would eliminate the need to use such wrappers and overwraps or, alternatively, in conjunction with such material, the air impermeability of metal containers could be further enhanced.
Similarly, some structures of multi-compartment packages are designed to help preserve the integrity of the contents and offer some protection against crushing. Cardstock materials, for example, are typically used because they have a higher resistance to shear and compression forces than paper packages. However, cardstock packages are vulnerable to damage and crushing under even moderate loads. An example of a hard pack package is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,444 to Bray et al., which discloses a typical hinged-lid, box-shaped container that is made from a “rigid card material.” Further examples of cigarette or tobacco packages made of a paper or cardstock material are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,496,474; 2,960,264; 5,044,550; and 5,097,948.
Still other materials, such as metals, woods and plastic, have also been suggested for use in multi-compartment containers for making crushproof and freshness-preserving cigarette containers. U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,369 to Cernera and U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,275 to Rice, Jr. disclose cigarette containers that may be made of various materials, such as plastic, wood, metal and cardboard.
Prior art cigarette package designs that have included an internal brace member for structural support and for separating the individual package compartments have also included a scalloped or grooved cross-section for holding individual cigarette articles in place. U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,903 to Focke et al. discloses “trough-like recesses” for reducing movement of individual cigarettes and providing structural support. Thermally molded plastic is preferred for structural brace components where the components are shaped to hold individual cigarettes in place because the manufacturing processes for making such plastic components are relatively simple.
Although many features of multiple-compartment cigarette containers are disclosed in the prior art, none of the prior art patents are directed to a rectangularly-shaped, decorative, durable and multi-compartment cigarette package and method of packaging cigarettes like that of the present invention. There remains, therefore, the need for such a package and packaging method to accommodate smokers who prefer to carry two or more different cigarette brands or flavors in a single package.